Skull Crack Trail

Great view of salmon run

Great spot for a weekend camping trip. The echoes of the water and wildlife really is calming. Def a great hike

This trail is 2.5 miles one way, 5 miles round trip, and overlooks the Causey Reservoir (near Huntsville, Utah) most of the way.

This trail is deceiving as far as difficulty level. When we started it, it seemed flat, especially the first half to 3/4 mile. Then it goes a little up and down and around a lot of bends in the reservoir. Along the way, we met other hikers who said they did not finish the trail. They turned around about .5 mile from the end because the trail appeared to go down a steep gradient. Our context of steep gradients is from Alta or other ski resort trails that pretty much go up at a 50% angle. We did make it to the end, the gradient on the way down was not as steep as we thought, and there were switch backs. Probably the steepest part was right at the end, descending from the end of the trail to the river's edge to see the salmon run. The way back seemed to pose a challenge too.... the way back made us realize the elevation gain was very gradual and more than we had expected or felt going into the trail. Though the trail appears flat along the way, there are a lot of rocky patches that can catch you off guard. Also we saw lots of horseshoe prints, but no horses! Overall it was a fun and challenging trail. Even more so this time of year when you get to see the salmon run! What a cool experience!

As a side note, though the parking lot to the trail was crowded with cars and 3-4 horse trailers, not many people were actually on the trail. We saw lots of horseshoe prints, but no horses on the trail. Maybe all those people and horses were visiting ranch across from the trailhead?

It took us 3 hours and 15 minutes to hike with our 3 kids. We carried two of them but the 5 year old did great walking on her own. Great views and totally worth hiking in the fall to see the salmon run and the pretty fall colors. We will make this a yearly tradition I think.

This trail kicked my arse. First hike since my knee surgery. Loved and enjoyed every minute of it!!!

I hiked this trail today to do a little fishing at the River Inlet. I'm not in the greatest shape; I found the trail to be somewhat challenging and it took me about 1-1/2 hours to hump in. Once I arrived at the Inlet, I was a little disappointed at the amount of people/campers/kayakers in the area. But, that's what I get for going on a Sunday morning. The kayakers were congregating right in the casting areas. Also, there's a real lack of shoreline here; I was forced to do a little impromptu wet wading. The fishing was spectacular. The rainbows were hungry and aggressive. Caught 4 times my limit (not that that matters... C&R). If you're looking for a new place to fish Causey, I highly recommend fishing the inlet, if you can handle the hike.

Pretty easy trail with a steep climb heading back. The trail is pretty narrow and not super shady, but beautiful.

Absolutely breath taking

Absolutely beautiful! We ended up turning back before completing the trail as my 10 year old son was feeling anxious over the dropoffs. I'll be heading back up sans children to complete.

Great hike around Causey reservoir with great views. It was a holiday weekend so a bit busy on the trail but manageable. We took our dog and there were lots of other dogs. I'll do it again in the fall to watch the salmon spawn.

It was a lot of fun and beautiful!

Great hike!

Super fun trail for snowshoeing! The snow was great and the views were awesome!

It's a great trail to hike. Did it with the family. Just make sure your kids a surefooted when hiking because of some drop offs along the way.

The hike alone was beautiful but seeing the kokanee in spawn really topped it off

The best trails always have a gift at the end whether it's a gorgeous view or a chance to see the salmon swim up river. It was amazing!

VERY GOOD HIKING TRAIL. Would NEVER again bring horses on it again though. The trail is a little narrow with a very steep drop off many feet down, into the lake below. I had a friend who's horse fell off the trail, into the water and drown. Very terrible and I would not want that to happen to anyone.

Horse Friends - Do not attempt to take trailer up without scouting in car first to know what trailer parking is like. There is no trailer parking. Just parking on roadway. On a typical Saturday that entire roadway is packed with parked cars so road is one lane only. Turn around is tight and requires backing. Family's with kids, dogs, bikes, canoes, tents, etc at trailhead.

Moderate to hard trail with some hill climb, all single track, 30% of trail is rocky.

That said, the views are magnificent and a great place to take a swim with the horses after the ride!

great family hike, not too busy.

Nice, easy trail with beautiful scenery. Great for anyone. If you take kids on this trail just watch them as the trail is high above Causey Reservoir and it is a long way down on the North side of the trail. There are a couple of campsites at the end of the trail where the stream flows into the reservoir. I know some people backpack in or kayak to this point for camping.

I went last June. This is very beautiful and not much traffic once you get a ways in.

Nice easy trail

Skull Crack gives you beautiful views of Causey, especially the further in you go. My favorite time to hike here is during a light rain or winter when the lake is frozen and the trail is covered in snow. It's so beautiful. The only thing I don't like about it is that it's in and out.

I've also canoed and paddle boarded on the reservoir. Lots of fun!

Hiked this trail twice with my 10 and 6 year olds. The first time was just a normal hike, the second time we backpacked in to camp over night. The first 2/3 of the trail is slightly up hill but not steep the last section is down hill but also not bad. There are 2 camping spots when you get to the end of the trail that are both pretty nice and if you cross the stream there are more but its mainly on rocks or uneven ground. We had a moose come through out camp site that scared us but it just went to the water to eat, we stayed far away from it cause I know they can be dangerous. At night the mice cone out so keep you food in a safe spot, we hung our stuff in a tree so bears and other things could not get to it. There are bathrooms at the beginning of the trail head so that was nice to have when you get back rpto your vehicle. Overall great trip.

One of my all time favorite places to hike in my local hiking area. This area has more then just hiking as I will also bring my Kayak and follow the shoreline to the tributaries of this reservoir. This trail has lake views most of the hike and takes you from the shorelines to high above the lake. The trail is no to hard to hike and offers a nice work path that is easy to follow. If you hike to the end of this trail in the fall you will get to see the kokanee salmon make there way to spawning grounds. This is an amazing sight and worth the trip to see.

Easy trail with great views of the lake. Come in the fall to see the kokanee salmon - if you go during the right time, you could practically scoop them right out of the shallows. No fishing during that time, but they're a sight to see.

I went up there on a field trip for my jr high science class it was a really fun hike. We went for the salmon run. Really a lot of fun.

Great trail. Lots of shade and low traffic.

I really enjoyed this trail. It is in great shape and the traffic on it was mild. I thought there would be a ton of people coming to see the Salmon Run. A fairly level hike, not a lot of elevation on this hike. The views of the lake and the rugged canyons are what make this hike unique to others I have been on this year. Highly Recommened this hike around this time of year.